Senior Morrow meaty no more; practice times

COLLEGE STATION — Apparently Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman isn’t the only one to drop a lot of weight in the offseason.

Get ready for a leaner, meaner Howard Morrow (right) springing into this season, which opens with the start of practice today.

You don’t typically hear about receivers losing a lot of weight. That’s usually reserved for portly offensive and defensive linemen and coaches who have an epiphany that it can be beneficial to practice what they preach.

Sherman said he sat down with Morrow in the offseason and let him know that if he’s to excel his senior season (Morrow was a top recruit four years ago) for the Aggies, he must do it with a tighter frame.

“I visited with Howard after the winter break and told him, ‘You’ve got to lose weight if you want to play,'” Sherman said. “And he’s lost about 15 pounds. On a receiver that’s huge.”

Morrow, who’s listed on the updated roster as 6 foot and 198 pounds, caught only 10 passes last season — and six of those came against Oklahoma. Meaning he also has plenty of potential, but he’s quickly running out of time to prove it.

“Five pounds is huge on a receiver or a running back, but 15 pounds makes a huge difference,” Sherman said. “I’m looking forward to seeing Howard playing faster than he played last year, and being more dependable and accountable.

“He’s been one of the leaders in the offseason program.”

 Times for practice, open to A&M students, staff and former students, this week: